About Clichés, Gifts, Sicknesses, And A Perfect Christmas
by ILoveHarmony
Summary: Harry and Hermione's first Christmas as a couple doesn't start the way they expected...


**Disclaimer: Nope, obviously not mine, they're all JK's.**

**A/N: English isn't my native language, so if you see mistakes please let me know by reviewing. Thank you! :D**

* * *

**ABOUT CLICHES, GIFTS, SICKNESSES, AND A PERFECT CHRISTMAS**

Harry Potter was looking out to the big snowflakes falling to the ground, from behind the half-opened curtain. The untouched snow in front of the Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was reflecting the sky's orange-pink colour. He closed the curtain and sighed in a sombre way while glancing up to the second floor. His girlfriend was the victim of a terrible flu epidemic and she had been lying down since the morning. Hermione Granger could neither sleep nor let her boyfriend sleep all night long because of her high fever. In the end, at dawn, they could reduce the fever and drifted into a, even if a little, peaceful sleep. Harry woke up a few hours later because, he couldn't sleep to the late hours of the day, presumably a bad habit remaining from the war. Normally, Hermione would join him, too, but this sickness had left her exhausted.

Young man went up the stairs, trying not to squeak the steps and, slowly, opened the door of their room a little. The light coming from the separated curtains was illuminating the girl's face even if just a pinch. Harry smiled softly, when he saw that his girlfriend was in a deep slumber. This was the first time he saw her that vulnerable, and when you consider surviving a battle and defeating a dark lord that was really bad.

Harry fell in love with her at the times of war; at least that was when he realised it. According to Hermione, during the horcrux hunt, at the tent, in the middle of nothing, when Harry extended his hands to dance with her, young woman understood her love for him. The only thing both of them knew for sure is that they loved each other like crazy and they couldn't live without being together. However, their deep feelings were newly shared. They were together for four months and were experiencing their first case of sickness as a couple. And on the Christmas day. Yep, they were spending their first Christmas while one of them was lying down in fever.

With these thoughts in mind, he sighed again and closed the door slowly. Seeing the girl he loved this helpless and vulnerable had made something in him tighten. He returned to their, Gryffindor common room inspired, living room. He plumped down in the red couch in front of the crackling fireplace and started watching the fire. He wanted their first Christmas to be unforgettable for Hermione but not like this. He must have found a way, done something and have her forgotten her sickness while spending the best Christmas of her life. While he was desperately trying to find something, the tree they bought together three days ago (Hermione's last day as a healthy woman) caught his eyes. Their plans were decorating the tree joyously but they were, unfortunately, left disappointed. With this thought Harry stopped in his tracks and became upright in his seat. The fact of Hermione being ill wasn't an obstacle to decorating a tree. He stood up and went to the pine tree. With every passing second, a plan was forming in his mind and with its progress the smile on his face was growing, too. Oh, yes. It was, definitely, going to be an unforgettable Christmas.

* * *

Hermione woke up with the nice smells that came to her nose. She gathered enough force to open her eyes and separated her eyelids slowly. Seeing a pair of emerald green eyes, that was watching her with interest, made her smile uncontrollably. Considering the dim light of the room, the sun had set recently. She must have slept for nearly twelve hours. When she remembered that day was Christmas, she felt heaviness in her heart. She had spent their first Christmas as lovers sleeping and had left Harry alone all day. She got upright in the bed in spite of her tired muscles' protests. Harry, immediately, came beside her and helped her with placing cushions behind her back.

"Are you better, Mione?" Hermione smiled at the name her boyfriend used. If he were someone else, she would have hexed him already but the fact that it was Harry who was using the nickname made the young woman just smile. Love, really, changes people, she thought. When she realised that Harry was waiting a reply from her, she smiled softly.

"I'm good. Just feeling tired. Harry, I'm really, truly sorry." Harry, for a moment, couldn't understand what she was talking about. "I left you on your own on our first Christmas." Harry, upon seeing the sadness on her face, stood up from his seat at her foot and sat closer to her. He held her hands, kissed them.

"Knowing that you are here, in this room, lying in our bed is enough for me. Besides, the day isn't over yet. There is still time for us to spend celebrating. We haven't, even, opened our presents yet." He said, smiling.

Young woman nodded and regretted it immediately. The rapid movement had caused her to feel dizzy. When Harry realised that, he sighed and got, even more, closer to the girl, kissed her forehead and started looking straight in her eyes.

"Harry, don't get this close. You will get sick, too." He continued staring at her like he didn't hear her. Their breaths were mingling together.

"I'm okay with everything, if it's coming from you, Mione." Hermione threw her head back, laughing lightly.

"Clichés, clichés..." Harry hid his satisfaction coming with making the woman he loved laugh even when she's ill and pretended to be hurt by lowering his head.

"Cliché, huh? If I knew you didn't like things like that, I would never bother with preparing surprises for you." Harry saw the glitter in her eyes from the corner of his eye and couldn't hold his laughter back any longer.

"What surprise? Harry? What did you do?" Harry leaned forward once again and dropped a long kiss to her cheek before standing up.

"I told you already, it's a surprise." Hermione grunted and crossed her arms.

"Alright, but what kind of surprise? Where? I can't see anything." Harry laughed and uncrossed her arms, holding her hands. While pulling her to her feet, he said:

"To be able to see downstairs from here, you have to be Moody, and I prefer you as a girlfriend, thank you very much." She rolled her eyes. Slowly got up and started standing in front of him with getting support from his arm.

"Then, show me. It will take half an hour for me to get downstairs in this condition, so we better get a move on." Harry leaned down, grinning and took her in his arms in bridal style. Hermione let out a small scream when her feet left the floor.

"HARRY! Isn't it enough that you will be sick, you want to hurt your back, too?! Put me down I can go myself." Harry shook his head and went out of the room, holding her tighter. Just as she gave in, they came to the stairs and Harry came to a halt. "You will make both of us fall."

"Then, we'll take advantage of the benefits of being a wizard." Even before she understood what's going on, Hermione felt a squeezing feeling and found herself in their living room. Harry had apperated to the living room with Hermione in her arms. Young man put his girlfriend down and held his back, moaning. Just as she was starting to fuss over him, she saw the grin on his face and slapped his arm lightly. Harry's grin turned into a laugh, he pulled the woman closer by her waist and kissed her lips. A few seconds later, as they pulled apart, the girl staggered and Harry smirked. She blushed lightly when she saw this.

"I got dizzy because of the sickness, I think." Harry nodded; his smirk didn't decrease even a little.

"I'm sure it's because of it, dear. I suppose, I got sick, too; because I, also, felt lightheaded for a moment." Hermione leaned her head on her lover's shoulder upon his words and closed her eyes. They were still on their feet and this time her head was, really, swimming due to her sickness.

"Love, if there is more time for you to show your surprise, can we sit? I haven't recovered that much, yet." Harry kissed her temple and helped her to the couch. As soon as young woman touched the couch, snowflakes started to fall from the ceiling. They were disappearing before they hit the floor and they weren't cold. Hermione opened her palms and watched the snowflakes' disappearing, as soon as they touched her hand. When she lifted her head to thank him, she noticed that he wasn't in the room anymore. As she turned to look back, suddenly something fell down her head. Harry had poured a bucket of stuffed toy down her head. The girl was studying the miniature size reindeers and snowflakes while smiling happily. She chose a reindeer and turned to her boyfriend, hugging it to her chest. She grabbed him by his collar and made him sit down beside herself by force, as much as you can force a willing person.

"Actually I was going to pour down rose petals, but I thought it would be too "cliché"; so I found these. Therefore, I will go overboard with clichés on Valentine's Day." Hermione, without separating from her toys, subjected him to one of her infamous hugs. Young man replied her with smiling, tucked his head where her shoulder and neck met, and breathed her scent in. "I love you, so much, Mione."

"Not as much as I love you." The boy laughed loudly and pulled away from her.

"You don't want to compete with me on this subject, trust me." As Hermione opened her mouth to reply, Harry shushed her by putting his hand on her mouth. "My surprises aren't over, yet. How can it be a Christmas without decorating a tree together?" He waved his wand lightly and a massive pine tree appeared between them and the fireplace, with another wave of his wand the ornaments of the tree filled the couch.

"Harry, I would want to, I would really want to, but I am knackered." Harry held the girl's hand and took it to his lips.

"Then, we'll do it without standing up." Upon meeting Hermione's confused look, he raised his wand and directed it to one of the ornaments, clearing his throat.

"Swiish and flick. Wingardium Leviosa." As the ball-shaped ornament levitated, Hermione slapped her boyfriend's arm, smiling. Harry caught her hand and without spoiling his seriousness said

"Hermione, stop, stop, stop. You're going to take someone's eye out. " The girl couldn't resist anymore and fell down sideways on the couch, laughing loudly, seeing this; Harry could no longer conserve his seriousness and burst into laughter. Hermione straightened up, holding her stomach and wiping away the tears from her eyes,

"Will you remind me every single time, how insufferable I was when I was little?" she asked.

"But I didn't think of you as insufferable." Seeing her unbelieving look, he added. "I just taught that you were a know-it-all- walking-library." Young woman laughed, throwing her head back.

"And now, I'm not a know-it-all-walking-library anymore?" Harry got closer to the girl and while shaking his head, whispered softly

"Now, you are _**my **_know-it-all-walking-library." Hermione hugged him with teary eyes.

"And you are _**my**_ Harry. My _**just Harry**_." Harry held her cheeks and kissed her on her lips. When they came apart, Hermione held his hands on her cheek and leaned her forehead on his.

"You'll really get sick."

"I'm okay wi-" Hermione shut her boyfriend's mouth with her hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Then, get sick, but I won't look after you, just so you know." Harry pouted.

"That is, you won't even cook a bowl of soup?"

"Okay, I will cook soup."

"Hot chocolate?" Hermione sighed.

"Alright, I'll do that, too."

"Cookies?" Hermione rolled her eyes jokingly.

"I say, don't push your luck." Harry moved away from his lover.

"Whatever, I did it already. I'll manage with it a few days." With Hermione's knitted brows, he figured out that she didn't understood a thing, leaped out of his seat and went to the kitchen with a smirk.

"HARRY? WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WE HAVEN'T DECORATED THE TREE, YET?" Hermione turned to her back, shouting towards the kitchen door.

"Coming, I wanted to sweeten our mouths while decorating the tree." Harry came back with a tray in his hands. He put down the tray on the lap of the woman who was waiting for him curiously. There were two glasses of milk and a plate full of cookies. On the centre of the plate, there was a big, red, heart-shaped cookie and around it, were pine-shaped cookies. Hermione took one of the pine-shaped cookies and turned to Harry, smiling. When he saw the tears in her eyes, he tucked her hair that fell on her eyes behind her ear and said "I did this to make you happy, don't you dare to cry." Hermione took the heart-shaped cookie at the centre of the plate and split it right from the half. She offered one piece to her boyfriend's mouth.

"I'm crying because of happiness, silly thing." Harry smiled while chewing the cookie. Hermione smiled back, biting the remaining piece.

"Shall we start, then?" Young man waved his wand and an ornament got hanged on one of the lower branches of the tree. Hermione chose an ornament, too, and did the same thing.

* * *

About half an hour later, the tree had been decorated, all of the cookies had been eaten and the milk had been drunk. Hermione put the tray beside the couch on the floor.

"I think it's time for presents." She said, smiling. She waved her wand once and a few presents appeared under the tree. Harry stood up and took a medium sized box under it.

"Open this first." The woman took the box in curiosity and opened its package slowly. When she lifted its cover, she found a miniature Harry and Hermione in it. They were hugging and from their look at each other you could think that they were the only people on the planet or the only ornament.

"When I put them in the box, they were only holding hands. I swear." Hermione wiped away a tear from her eye and smiled.

"Harry, that's beautiful. Help me to hang it." Harry helped his lover up by her hands and they went to the tree together. Hermione took down the star from the top of the tree. They placed their new ornament on top and started staring at each other like their miniature-selves. At last the young woman reached up and kissed her boyfriend's lips.

"Hermione! You'll make me sick, too!" Hermione burst into laughter and slapped his arm for the umpteenth time that night.

"Silly." Harry replied her with his infamous lopsided grin.

"It's your turn." Hermione sat down on her place and chose a soft looking package from under it. Harry sat cross-legged beside her. In contrast to Hermione, he tore open the package and an emerald green pullover came out of it. On it were embroidered HJP. While Harry was moving his fingers over his initials, Hermione spoke in a husky voice.

"I knitted it. Without using magic. I even made your initials without magic." Harry raised his head and whispered, staring into the girl's eyes.

"You mean our initials, right? That's to say, when we get married, they'll be our initials." Hermione gasped upon these words. "I'm not talking about right now, of course. Honestly, if it was down to me, I would marry you right now, but we'll get married when you're ready. I'm in no hurry. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to pressure you." Hermione threw her arms around her lover.

"I would love to Harry. Maybe a few months later, you'll ask me _**that **_question and I'll give you _**that **_answer." Harry looked at his girlfriend, his eyes beaming and stole a kiss from her lips.

"Message is received. A few months later. Okay." While Hermione was laughing, Harry reached out and took a rectangular gift, giving it to the girl. "Here you go. Hope you'll like it." She opened the package carefully and when she saw the old book, her eyes opened wide.

"Harry, is this, what I think it is? Please tell me it's what I think it's." Harry nodded.

"If what you think is the first edition of Hogwarts: A History- and I hope it is, then, yep, it what you think it's." When he saw the twinkle in her eyes, he burst in pride. Doubtlessly, he couldn't feel more proud, even if he had beaten Voldemort once more. While he was waiting for one of her infamous hugs, he saw that she was hugging her new book and he jested, "Suppose I made a mistake, getting you that book. Look, it's already taken my place. Should I take it back, while you're sleeping?" Hermione hid her book as if someone would whisk it off and stuck her tongue out to him.

"Nope, won't give it to anyone. From now on, it's my most precious book. Given to me by the most precious person in my life." Harry smiled, thinking how lucky he was, having a woman in his life that can be this happy with just a book. At that time Hermione took the last present from under the tree and handed it to him. Before opening the rectangular gift,

"Wow, a rectangular gift. What can it be, I wonder? Not to say that it's from my bookworm walking-library. Could it be a book?" he asked ironically. Hermione smirked.

"Open it and see for yourself, Mr Know-It-All." Harry opened the package more slowly unlike a few minutes ago. Out came a book-like thing. As he studied it, he realised that it was a photo album. "I know, it's a little cliché but..." He glanced at her and opened the cover and came across a photo of his mother and father that he hadn't seen before. From their clothes and their smiles that hadn't seen the difficulties of war, you could estimate they were in their last years of Hogwarts. On the next page there was a photo of the Marauders minus Peter Pettigrew and Lily Evans. The pages after that were full of photos, arranged in chronological order. In time, Harry joined the photos. At one point, he grew up suddenly and the photos from his second year in Hogwarts and onwards began. Harry guessed that Hermione had taken the photos from Colin. He flicked through the other photos for some time and when he flipped the last page, he found a note, instead of a photo.

"_We'll fill it in from now on, together..."_

Harry closed the album carefully, placed it beside him on the floor and pulled his lover to his lap from her waist. "Thank you. They are the most meaningful presents I got in my life. All three of them." He said while hugging her. Hermione raised her head from his shoulder.

"I gave you only two presents, Harry." Harry shook his head.

"You gave me the greatest, the most meaningful, the most beautiful present of the world by loving me, Mione." Hermione kissed her lover with tears running down her face. When they pulled away, she leaned her head back again on his shoulder and they continued hugging each other while sitting in front of the tree.

"I love you so much, Harry."

"I love you, too, so, so much Hermione." While magical snowflakes were dancing around them, this romantic and peaceful atmosphere got spoiled by a sniffing sound. Hermione raised her head slowly and threw such a look at Harry, 'If looks could kill...' thought Harry. Upon young man's sheepish smile, young woman put his head back on his shoulder, groaning.

"I told you that you'll get sick."

**THE END**


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